UnityPoint Health – St. Luke’s Hospital has started a new tradition to honor organ donors and bring awareness to the gift of life. In a tribute to honor patients and families who have made the decision to extend life and donate organs to the Iowa Donor Network, the hospital will turn its West Pavilion light green to honor and show appreciation for this life-saving donation. On May 14, St. Luke’s honored its first donor.
The idea to honor donors this way, came from a frontline team member. St. Luke’s team members already participate in honor walks for organ donors. St. Luke’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Nurse Nic Hughes saw this as a way to publicly acknowledge the gift of life in our community.
Over 112,000 Americans currently wait for a life-saving organ transplant. Over 600 are Iowans.
Some facts about organ donation:
- Every 10 minutes another name is added to the national organ transplant waiting list.
- An average of 20 people die each day because the organs they need are not donated in time.
- In 2019, the lives of 40,000 Americans were saved by organ donation.
- One donor can save up to eight lives through organ donation and save and heal more than 200 lives through tissue donation.
Statistics source: Donatelife.net
To learn more about organ donation log on to iowadonornetwork.org or call (319) 665-3787.
